My first full mash attempt - Help

[Pete]

Hi

I need a bit of help. My wife and I got a bit enthusiastic (happened twice before, they are called Jack and Willow) and have put the hops in during the mashing process.

Shall I assume those 100g of Goldings will not impart taste as they are not being boiled, and put more hops in during the boil?

I have an hour to decide!

Help

Pete

[Seveneer]

Hi Pete,

I've never done this but I have read something about doing it. I can't find it right now and I'm frantically trying to find the info before your mash finishes.

If I can't find it I'd just taste the wort and see how bitter it is. I don't reckon you'll be much bitterness but you might get some hop aroma that would get boiled off. I'd definitely put more hops in the boil.

I'll try to find more info now.

/Phil.

[Seveneer]

OK have a look at thishttp://www.ccarhomebrewclub.com/MashHop ... aParti.doc it says that you'll get hop bitterness but not as much as a 90 minute boil. So I was wrong above.

If I were you I'd still add hops to the boil but not as much as you were going to.

Hope this helps.

/Phil.

[Bigster]

I second seveneer there - if it was me probably go for 1/2 what I was going to do originally in the boil....

[Pete]

Thanks Seveneer,

I am going to taste it and add more hops. Probably 1/2 of the original recipe.

Thanks again for your timely help.

Cheers

Pete

[Pete]

Thanks also to Bigster

[Pete]

Hi

Help again

My recipe says I should have a 1040 specific gravity prior to fermentation, but my sparged liquid only has a 1020 reading. I have yet to boil and am using a hydrometer in the slightly warm sparged liquid.

I presume this is wrong and I have either not mashed properly or my sparging is at fault. The boiler was the right temperature (63 deg C) and it was this temperature for 90 minutes. I am using a sparging arm with 80 deg C water.

Any ideas anyone.

Pete

[Seveneer]

Hi Pete,

what temperature is the wort you are sampling for the OG?

/Phil.

[DRB]

By the time the boil finishes it should take it up higher than 1040,but with less wort left due to evaporation so you might have to add water to get it right.

[Seveneer]

By the time the boil finishes it should take it up higher than 1040,but with less wort left due to evaporation so you might have to add water to get it right.

I think you'd need a lot of 1.020 wort to boil it down to 1.040. 10 gallons in fact for a 5 gallon batch.

/Phil

[Pete]

Thanks guys

I have gone upto 1025 when my liquid cooled.

I am going to do a mini-remash to warm it all up the re-sparge with liquid which has already been sparged, also reheated.

Does anyone think this will work? Or should I just go buy some malt extract?

Pete

[Seveneer]

Hi Pete,

If you've sparged with 80C then no I don't think re-mashing will work. If I was in that situation I'd boil until the OG is 1.040 and put up with having less beer. I haven't done any calculations because I don't know how much wort you've collected but I think you should boil until you get about 3.5 gallons. That should give you 1.040.

Don't worry, this happens to all of us at some stage

/Phil.

[Andy]

Pete - keep going mate, you'll look back on this one and smile after you've got a few under your belt

[Pete]

Magically, when I poured my sparged liquid back into the boiler, the gravity was raised to just under 1040, and the liquid is warm.

I guess I was sampling from the top of the liquid - I didn't mix it enough.

So all is well. And I am happy, and now drinking my other (red) favourite drink.

Thank you very much for the support - sorry for time wasting.

Pete

[Andy]

Cool! Glad to hear you got back on track!

Adding hops to the mash is a new one on me...